MEDIA FRONT

OLIVER BOYD-BARRETT—An intensification of recent propaganda from Western and Israeli intelligence and media sources includes the lie that Iran is a nuclear threat to Israel (which has hundreds of nuclear weapons); that it is Iran and not Israel (which has massacred at least 40,000 but more likely, 200,000 Palestinians) that is driving the present crisis and that it is Iran that needs to exercise “restraint;” that the Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr who was assassinated by Israel a few days ago was implicated in the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing of US marines; the atrocious claim that Hezbollah was responsible for a missile attack on Arab children playing football in the Golan Heights; that Iran has been “acting aggressively,” and that the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was caused by a planted Mossad bomb and not a missile.

EDITORS—Lee Fang’s critique of the degraded journalistic atmosphere at The Intercept that forced his resignation. The embrace of partisanship and wokism was too much for Fang, who exited the once-promising place (originally founded by tech billionaire Pierre Omidyar) much as did one of its founders, Glenn Greenwald. 

SIMPLICIUS—Iran made history yesterday by launching “Operation True Promise”. In our usual style here, let’s cut through all the noise currently clogging up social networks and incisively demonstrate the facts as thoroughly as possible, while also pointing out how this was a game-changing and historic event which has brought Iran onto the world stage in a big way.
Firstly, as establishment, Iran’s stated goal for the operation was to strike back at the bases from which the Israeli consular attack was launched on April 1: IRGC has listed its objectives for last nights missile attack: Ramon and Nevatim airbases (where attack on Iran Consulate was conducted from). Israeli Air Force intelligence HQ in Tel Aviv (where attack on Iran Consulate was planned) and degrading of Israeli air defence radars and assets.

The footage is of the Intelligence HQ getting hit. I have yet to see evidence of 99% interception. Ramon has been badly hit. Nevatim was hit by more than 7 missiles. Air Force Intelligence HQ completely leveled. Other strikes on air defence installations obviously not close to population centres and out of view but I’m sure sat intel will show extent of damage.

THIS IS A REPOST
ROBERT PARRY—First, there was the ascendance of propaganda over truth. The U.S. government was well aware of the gross human rights crimes of the Afghan “muj” but still sold them as honorable “freedom fighters” to the American people. Second, there was the triumphalism of Gates and other war hawks, who insisted on rubbing Moscow’s nose in its Afghan defeat and thus blocked cooperation on a negotiated settlement which held out the promise of a less destructive outcome.

EDITOR—Matt Orfalea in one of his inimitable spoofs demonstrates that for all its ostensible diversity, US media does not dare deviate from the official monotonic narrative on any of the important topics defining reality for most people in the West. This was seen, for example, with the phenomenon of Russiagate, still an unchallenged hoax now making a comeback with the expected victory of Trump in 2024, and currently the narrative gyrations covering the Ukraine fiasco, the imperial genocide of Palestinians, and the constant demonisation of Washington’s main designated enemies, Russia, China, and Iran.